Reading keeper Joe Lumley went viral following the team's 2-1 win over Stoke City on Sunday for his 'time wasting' technique toward the end of the match.
Lumley, on loan from Middlesbrough, has kept two clean sheets since joining the club over the summer- but has also had two matches in which he's shipped four apiece.
After a shot was ballooned over the crossbar, the stopper ran down the clock by heading a ball back into the stands after being thrown it by a steward, much to the delight of those behind the goal in 'Club1871.'
Reading keeper Joe Lumley time wasting against Stoke over the weekend. Top class 😂pic.twitter.com/Wkwj5X3z8W
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) September 5, 2022
The clip has been viewed over 260,000 times on SPORTbible alone, with the caption "Reading keeper Joe Lumley time wasting against Stoke over the weekend. Top class."
Speaking after the win over Millwall last weekend, boss Paul Ince alluded to time wasting but admitted that it is part of the game.
"Sometimes we were timewasting and Joe was taking [his time], but that’s Championship football, we just wanted to quieten the crowd so we could get a foothold in the game," he said.
The assist from Joe Lumley 🧤🎯
— Reading FC (@ReadingFC) September 5, 2022
The composure from Lucas Joao 😎⚽
What a way to start the game against Stoke! #REASTK pic.twitter.com/EhytGblvDp
Similar to this, after the win over the Potters on Saturday Ince stated that his team were improving their game management, and that "I’m a lot more confident we can see games out now. Sometimes we might not…but we’re learning how to see out games. That’s important for me going forward."
Not only in the headlines for his stunt at the end of the match, the Londoner picked up an assist as his goal kick perfectly set Lucas Joao up for his opening goal after just two minutes.
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